Douban Ratings Out for Late June 2025 Period C-dramas A Dream within a Dream at 7.0 and The Princess’s Gambit with 5.5
There were three big period C-dramas that premiered at the very end of June 2025, In the Name of the Blossom squeaked in on June 30th so don’t expect Douban ratings anytime soon. But the ratings are out for A Dream within a Dream with Li Yi Tong and Liu Yu Ning and The Princess’s Gambit with Liu Xue Yi and Meng Zi Yi. Dream got a higher than expected 7.0 while Gambit a lower than expected 5.5. I would have assumed from the online reviews, chatter, and buzz over the two dramas during its near simultaneous run that the Douban ratings would be close to each other and probably around 6.3-6.7 level. That there is a 15 point gap is curious to note, and in terms of buzz it would be Dream that is garnering more chatter but some of it especially in recent days is more criticism and frustration but the early episodes were nearly all positive feedback.
The later part of the show complaints stemmed from the audience emphatizing with Liu Yuning’s character so much that they got annoyed with the FL for not realizing how sincere he was. The audience took it personally.😂 Liu Yuning’s acting is really good. An actor who can tell a thousand stories with only his eyes and tears should be applauded. Acting is not easy when it is done well, I always applaud. 👏 both actors on that show are doing a good job.
LXY needs to star picking better scripts. I wonder if they pick a drama before the script is fully out. I am so tired of the FL personality.
I dont mind PG’s FL so much because its hard to take her seriously but she is very hypocritical.
His drama with Tang Yan received a lot of positive reviews this year still it tanked 🙁
The gambit one has a harem setting no? Harems can be stressful and more or less same old shenanigans…I wonder if that is why it is a little less. Even though dream has criticisms it probably means a lot of people are watching despite the issues. Probably more so for curious sake and see how it ends because it does have a lot of twists here and there. That’s my guess but I have not watched gambit one yet and have been loosely following Dream but at the same time waiting till they finish so I can just breeze right through them.
The harem part is minimal and ends by episode 15 I think, so that’s not it
The harem part is minimal in the drama, and ends by episode 15 I think so that’s not it
I watched both. A Dream within a Dream is hilarious, certainly more entertaining than the princess’s gambit. But I prefer the drama version of princess gambit to its novel. Just that, it’s lacking in something, which I can’t put my finger on
Same here, I lke both shows, I like both actors of PG the story is not bad but something feels off, still I’m going to stick till the end
Ultimately both are romance based. Answer? LYN & LYT have better chemistry. LXY is always excellent in the anguished “I love her to death” role but this time, his partner MZY just has a badly written role and she doesn’t show any longing for her so called CP partner. She did a good job in Blossom. But it’s hard to buy in with them as CP. And most of the comments hear are right about LYN. He does a really good job of this role.
Is it true Tencent wants to cap lead artiste age to 35 due to low ratings for Princess’s Gambit? does anyone else know about this rumour?
I heard of it too, but only for idol dramas. Personally, I don’t think it’s that bad of a thing. If actors and actresses still can’t act in serious dramas by the age of 35, they deserve to be eliminated from lead status. Idol dramas should be starring actors and actresses in their twenties. Plus it’s only Tencent, there’s still the other platforms.
Wu Jingyan is 34yrs already…I think it will be great to see her afew more years with good scripts.
But Liu Yu Ning is 35 this year and having his best year ever though since his debut. And it doesn’t look like it’s gonna down from here anytime soon.
@HL Most of the good scripts are at the non-idol dramas though. And The Double was aired on Youku, not Tencent.
@Powder Isn’t it better for him to move on to mainstream dramas?